


A Gift of Words

by fancyday



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Bored Sherlock Holmes, Gen, POV Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Sherlock Holmes Misses John Watson, Sherlock is Alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 01:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16253435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fancyday/pseuds/fancyday
Summary: Sherlock is bored and alone in 221B and secretly misses John. When John finally comes home, Sherlock gives him a gift.





	A Gift of Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tereomaori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tereomaori/gifts).



> For my lovely sister tereomaori.
> 
> This happened very late at night, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Translation into Chinese available: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5911219652

When the evening comes, Sherlock is lying on the sofa, hair tousled, bored. Alone. 

When John is not at home, the flat changes, the light changes and the smell and the sounds. All for the worse, Sherlock thinks, gloomy. Glum. There is less light, because Sherlock can’t be bothered to turn it on, the smell is very chemical because there is no one there to tell Sherlock to open the window or to mask the fumes from the experiments with nice cooking smells, and the sounds are different because there is no one to make all the nice little noises John usually makes, cooking, walking, humming, slightly off key. 

There is also, Sherlock notes, no one to talk to. No offence meant, he adds, silently, to the skull on the mantelpiece. 

Sherlock tousles his hair a bit more, very dissatisfied with the world in general and with John in particular, for not being here but with his annoying sister. He wiggles his toes, experimentally. 

There have been lots of experiments already today, none of them, strictly speaking, necessary, all of them, frankly, very messy. 

The burn on the table, though, Sherlock muses, could not have been anticipated. Or prevented. It will go well with the scratch from that swordfight, anyway. 

But John will not be pleased. 

Sherlock sighs and looks at the ceiling. Boring ceiling. He should really shoot it, or spray another smiley face on it, and make an experiment of it: How long until Mrs Hudson notices? How long until John finds out?

Sherlock stretches, thinks of cats because that is what John says that movement reminds him of, settles down again.

John must be setting some sort of record: longest conversation ever sustained with Harriett Watson. Ever. 

Sherlock texts Lestrade, who replies with boring things that Sherlock immediately deletes from phone and mind palace both, texts Molly just to annoy her, shouts for Mrs Hudson who does not hear him (or, more likely, has decided she has heard him often enough today), and finally, desperately, calls Mycroft, teasing him until the British Government hangs up, in a very dignified manner.

Then, there is the turn of the key in the lock Sherlock has decidedly not been waiting for, John’s steps on the stairs, and John in the doorway, smiling down at Sherlock, which is new. Sherlock is not sure he likes it.

“Bored?” says John. 

Sherlock thinks he will make John a small present, with words. For coming back and smiling. But the words are hard to make, all new to Sherlock, never used, in that order, for another person, they will not form themselves on his tongue. Firsts are always hard.

John is frowning, now, saying “You okay?” the way he always does when Sherlock worries him, and taking a step closer to Sherlock’s sofa, bending down, and now the words do come, a gift for John, for coming close.

“I’ve missed you.”

And John does not say thank you, because that is not what you say when people give you gifts of words, what he says is, “I’ve missed you too, Sherlock”, and Sherlock can hear John smiling when he says his name.

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a native speaker, so please feel free to point out any errors.


End file.
